Grease-cup



L. G. COPEMAN.

GREASE 0UP.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18. 1918.

1,395,336. Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

(Juno/Mo e dum y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LLOYD (morn o'orEMAN, or FLINT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GOPEMAN DEVELOP- MENT COMPANY, or FLINT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN.

GREASE-CUR Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

App1ication filed December 18, 1918. Serial No; 267,311.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LLOYD G. CoPnMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flint county of Genesee, State of Michigan,

have lnvented a new and useful Improve.

ment in Grease-Cups, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to grease cups, and has for its object a grease cup with a cap which will not become loose and fall off due to the vibrations of the car which it is upon. A further object is a cap which can be placed on a plunger cup without the liability of difiiculty in starting it that occurs when screw threads are employed. It also affords a quickly detachable cap which can be removed with a minimum of trouble and chance for soiling the fingers.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation of the cup.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the cup.

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing how'the cap and plunger are placed in the barrel.

Fig. 4 is an inside view of the cap.

Fig. 5 is a detail showing the spring washer.

It has been found in practice that the conventional form of grease cup cap which screws onto the barrel is quite prone to work loose and drop off. It is the object of this invention to provide a construction which is both simple and yet overcomes this difficulty. At the same time it greatly facilitates the removal of the cap with the plunger. Furthermore, it accomplishes a new function in its relation to the plunger of a plunger type grease cup. Those who have had opportunity to attempt to screw the threaded cap on a plunger type grease cup realize that it is often quite difficult to start the cap upon the threads. This is largely due to the fact that the plunger, having been set in the barrel which it fits tlghtly, may become slightly cramped, thereby throwing the screw stem out of a true coaxial relation With respect to the barrel and consequently causing the cap not to be concentric with the barrel end. Then too the threads on the stem if imperfectly formed ma cause difficulty in running the cap upon t e threads of the barrel, for obviously the cap simultaneously runs on two sets of thread-s. These difiiculties I have obviated by using an entirely different form of fastening for the cap.

In place of the troublesome threads on the barrel I use bayonet joint slots a, preferably three in number. (By using these oints there is no tendency of the cap to rock on the barrel end). On the inside of the cap flange an equal number of studs 6 project. Threaded onto the screw stem 1s a spring washer c. This washer is preferably in the form of a four times indented and a warped disk centrally perforated. This allows it to easily be slipped over the screw stem which keeps it always centralized, while the indentations allow it to be slipped by the studs, which will ordinarily hold it in position in the top of the cap. This spring washer furnishes the spring action to keep the studs in the offset portions of the bayonet slots, yet is of such minimum thickness as to practically require no room at all, so that caps of practically the conventional depth can be used and of conventional form outside of the inwardly protruding studs.

With this type of construction it is clear that the vibration of the car has no tendency to dislodge the cap for the spring disk firmly holds the studs in the bayonet slots. It is also apparent that no such difficulties arise as is the case with the cap which is screwed on. The entrance to the bayonet slots can be made relatively wide so as to make the entry of the pins easy regardless of the slightly cocked position of the screw stem due to cramping of the plunger in the barrel. It will also be recognized that any defects in the threads of the stem are of no consequence so far as putting the cap in place is concerned, as the cap does not have to be accurately run upon the threads but is turned through a vary small portion of a complete turn to seat it in the offset seats of the bayonet slots. The ease with which the cap can be placed or taken off is an other very important advantage. The average screw cap type of grease cup requires at least three complete turns to put in place and three complete turns to take it off. Inasmuch as only about half a turn can be made by the hand at one time this means about six diiferent handlings of the cap to put it in place or to take it off, thereby greatly increasing the liability of soiling the fingers. This, of course, is not much of a consideration When one is filling all the grease cups but is an advantage when one only desires to inspect or fill one cup.

The type of grease cup shown in the drawings is preferably one in which a capsule of grease is used as indicated in Fig. 2 by the reference character 9.

l/Vhat I claim is:

1. A grease cup, having in combination, a barrel provided With bayonet slots out clear through the Wall of the barrel at the outer end, a cap provided with projections on the inside of the flange adapted to engage the bayonet slots, and a spring engaging be tween the end of the barrel and the top of the cap and comprising a warped thin spring member arranged to contact the end of the barrel at least three spaced points thereon.

2. A grease cup, comprising a barrel provided with one or more bayonet slots at its inner end, a cap provided with one or more studs inwardly projecting from the plunger of the cap, and a spring washer in the form of an indented and warpeddiskfor engaging against the end of the barrel to hold the stud or studs in the bayonet slot or slots.

8. A grease cup, comprising a barrel provided With one or more bayonet slots at its inner end, a cap provided with one or more studs inwardly projecting'from the plunger of the cap, and a notched spring washer, the notches allowing the assembly of the Washer over the studs and the studs keeping the washer in place, the said spring washer being adaptedto bear between the cap and the LLOYD GEOFF OOPEMAN. 

